Modi has done nothing but foreign tours, poll campaign: Rajiv Shukla

Updated: Thursday, October 9, 2014, 19:31 [IST]

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Mumbai, Oct 9: Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Rajiv Shukla on Thursday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of ignoring national security and focusing just on foreign tours and election campaigns in times of ceasefire violations by Pakistan.

Addressing a press conference, Shukla said Modi government's Pakistan policy was a failure.

"The India-Pakistan border is seeing the worst ceasefire violations since 1971. But, the Prime Minister is silent despite the fact that he was targeting his predecessor Manmohan Singh for being soft on Pakistan. Modi, infact, began his innings on the top post, with the blessings of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif," Shukla charged.

When asked about Defence Minister Arun Jaitley's statement that India's response to Pakistan's aggression will be befitting, Shukla said mere talk will not do.

"Talk should be followed by action. Instead of focusing on foreign policy and formulating economic policies, Modi is canvassing for votes in Maharashtra and Haryana. In the last four months, Modi has ignored national security and has done nothing except going on foreign tours," he said.

Shukla described the political situation in Maharashtra as interesting due to the multi cornered nature of the contest. In Maharashtra, Modi says he would make the state number one and repeats the same in Haryana. Only one state can be number one. He is the Prime Minister now and should think before making any comments for temporary gains," the Congress leader said.

He accused Modi of claiming credit for all projects initiated by the UPA government and inaugurated by him in the last four months. Shukla also criticised the state BJP leaders for seeking votes in name of separate Vidarbha when the Prime Minister himself and the Union Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad have said there is no proposal of statehood.

When asked about the support for Vidarbha from a section of the Congress, Shukla said everyone has the power to demand certain things, but whether to implement it or not depends on the government of the day. "Congress is for united Maharashtra," he said.

Former Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal, at a separate press conference, said as the campaigning is progressing, electoral prospects of the Congress were looking good. He said people were disappointed with the performance of the Modi government in the last three months and its failure to show "Acche din" (good days) which they had promised in the Lok Sabha campaign.

Jaiswal accused the Prime Minister of being busy in electioneering when there is tension on China and Pakistan borders. "Is he waiting for a full fledged attack," Jaiswal asked.

To a question on why the Congress was targeting Narendra Modi, Jaiswal said since the Prime Minister was running the government and the ministers not even having a right to appoint their own PAs, the party was going after the Prime Minister on failures of the government.